ENThe political thaw took place in Poland in 1956. The author describes the life of the national minorities in Poland during the period of the thaw. The national minorities got permission to form their own organizations, to develop their educational system (teaching in the language of the national minority, or just teaching the language of the minority), to develop cultural life more intensively. The author analyses the cultural-educational activities of the Lithuanian minority. Two new institutions started their work in 1956 in Punskas: the House of Lithuanian Culture and the Secondary School (Lithuanian was used as a teaching language). The founding meeting of Lithuanian Sociocultural Society (LVKD) took place in 1957. However, soon after the activities had started there were the misunderstandings with the local authorities.